Appliance for use in playing games.



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rnanors J. BATCHELDER, on NEW YORK, N. Y.

APPLIANCE FOR USE IN PLAYING GAMES.

invented certain new and useful Improve- 'ments in Appliances for Use inPlaying Games, of which the following is a specification. I

This invention relates to improvements in games, and has for its object to provide an interesting, instructive and at the 'same'time amusing game of skill which will'call for the exercise of tactical and strategic capabilities on the parts of the players.

'My improved game is playedwith a board and a number of groups of pieces of differ- 'entcharacteristics, the game being playable by any number of'players,

One of the important features of my improved game lies in the board, which is provided with a number of bases, and paths leading from each base to every other base. Each player is provided with a group of pieces adapted to be moved over the paths above referred to, and the object ofeach player is to move-his pieces along the paths in such a way as to cause the removal of his opponents pieces from the board; a further object of the players is to be in occupation of thebases of opponents at the closeof the game. Additional paths may be provided on the board intersecting those leading-from one baseto another, thereby materially increasing the sphere of' operations, and affording greater opportunity for display of strategic skill on the part of the players. I

preferably make these intersecting paths concentric, relative to each base, and I provide stations or positions on eachpath at the points of intersection of these concentric paths with the paths leading from one base to another. The bases may be marked to represent countries or cities, as may be preferred, although this is not essential, and the pieces with which the game is played mayrepresent armies of the opposing counvide'd with tries. Inthis case the first concentric path around the bases may represent the outlying forts and another path may represent the frontiers of the countries.

The'board may be flat, or it may be pr0- depressions which form the paths, or the paths may be raised. The playing area may beof any desired outother base.

' Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Mar. 28, 1916. Application filed December 29,- 1915. Serial No. 69,230.

line but in practice I find it preferable to use a circular area.

I will now proceed to describe my invention in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings which shows a board in which thepaths are formed on the surface of the board after the manner of a solitaire board.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the board; Fig. 2 is a section taken through same along the line A A of Fig. l; and Fig. 3 shows one of the pieces which is moved along the board of Figs. 1 and 2.

' Referring to the drawings, the board a is formed with depressions 7) which form bases as described hereinafter, and each base is connected by paths 0, (Z, c and f with every In the example here illustrated five bases 6 are shown, each connected by the aforesaid connecting paths. The series of paths 0 and 7 together form an annulus which defines the boundary of the playing area. Concentric to each of the aforesaid bases are for med paths 9- and h, which paths, as shown, intersect the base-connecting'paths, 0, cl. e, and 7. At the intersections of said paths with the concentric paths 9, h. as well as at the junction of said concentric paths g, h with the paths 0. f, I provide stations or positions 2'; said stations may be circular or otherwise shaped to po sition the pieces with which the game is played; An example of one such piece is shown-in Fig. 3, said piece consisting of a support j for a flag la. and while it is preferred to use such a piece, yet it is obvious that any suitable device may be employed for this purpose without departing from my in ention.

In using this board to play a military game affording opportunitiesfor a test of skill in strategic movements, each of the mo able pieces j may represent an army and in the example here shown, each plaver will ha e four pieces corresponding with the stations or positions 2' on the arcuate path 0'. The bases 6 are assumed to represent the fortified capitals of various nations and may be inscribed with the names of the capitals of the respective countries. The

other positions or stations 71 at the points I leading to Said positions, it being understood that the pieces can be moved only along these roads and from one position to the next. 7

At the beginning of the game the pieces representing the armies of each nation are placed on the four stations 2' on the arcuate path 9 adjacent each base I), it being assumed that the armies are mobilized at these points. Each player in turn, and prefrectlyin line with the direction of movement of the piece attacking him, the piece of the opponent is driven back to such open position. However, if there is no open po-] sition behind the opponent in the same path as that in which the attacking piece is situated, the opponents piece is removed from the board. Should an enemy be forced to move away to a vacant place, he may not reverse his play at his next move and attack the advancing piece, but he may do soat' his second move thereafter, 1f opportunity.

i The movement of some pieces will .now

be described. Let us assume that the player of the piece marked Z wishes to move to the position m which is occupied by the piece n belonging to his opponent. If the position 0 is unoccupied, the pieceZ moves to the position m and the piece a is moved up to the" position 0. However, should this position 0 be occupied by another piece, the p1ece n cannot be moved back to position 0 so that it will be removed from the board counting a loss to the player thereof. The game ends when any player has lost all his pieces, or

when any 'two players have each lost a certain number of pieces, for instance three pieces. 1 The losses are thencomputcd, each piece lost counting l, and a baseoccupied by an opponent at the close of the game counting 2 the player with thesmallest losses winning. The players may play singly against each other'or may play in combination, or a single player may operate a number of groups of pieces each group being played in its right turn. When players join together the scoring is preferably modified to equalizethe chances of success.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing'the Commissioner of. Patents,

28th day The losses of the players combined together are preferably added together and'then Il'lllltiplied' by the number of groups. Thus when two groups are-played against three,

the losses of the former are multiplied by two and the losses of the latter by three,

It will be understood that modifications may be made to the rules herein set forth;

made inthe construction of the board and formation of the pieces without in anyway departing from the spirit of my invention 5 as will be apparent to those-skilledin the f art.

I claim r a V 1. A game comprising a board, a pluproximity to the exterior ofsaid board,

. rality .of bases-located on-said board'ln substantially, semicircular paths arranged around'infrontof said bases and a plural- V ity of paths leading fromeach base and'directly connecting said base with every other base and intersecting said first-mentioned paths.

with a plurality of bases, substantially semicircular paths arranged around, in front of 'said'bases, a plurality of pathsintersect- 3. A game comprising a board, a plu rality ofbases located on said board in proximity to the exterior edges of said game comprising aboard provided r 'ing said first paths and leading from each board, substantially semicircular paths ar- 1 Q ranged around in front of saldbases, and V a plurality of paths leading from each base and directly connecting said base with everygother base and intersecting. said firstmentioned paths in combination with men n having distinct ve characters correspond ingto the 'baseswith which theyare asso I ciated' y Signed at New, York city,- inthe county of New York and Stateof New York,-: this of December, A. D. 1915.

Witness: HARRY- Lnssnn.

Washington, D. C.

FRANCIS J. BATGHELDEJREV p 

